2017-01-29 - The Art of Muppetry
On this day, Kara's history class ends at the same time Peter's science class ends. Usually Peter finishes ahead of his class and meets Kara outside her classroom. On some days, though, she gets out before he does and heads to his classroom in the Science Wing. And today, when she gets out, Peter is nowhere to be seen... Today, Kara's classes end before Peter's. Miss Weaver thinks Kara has a lot of potential, and the two girls from her class are already putting together ideas to set up a website for selling costumes to superheroes, or serious cosplayers. Kara will find Peter at the Science Wing, of course. Doing whatever project Dr. Curt Connors has asked him to help with. A junior in college and already working on his undergrad stuff. Kara Zor-El gave the two girls her roommate's number, since it was a possible cosplayer thing. But right after, she made her way to the Science Wing, looking around and finding where her boyfriend was working on... whatever he was working on. She knocks on the open door. Dr. Curt Connor looks up and smiles, waving with his left arm. Because he can;'t with his right arm, because it ends between shoulder and elbow. Still, one of the premier minds in recombinant DNA, even though he is 3/4ths a man. "Miss Zor-El! Please, come in!" He smiles warmly, his smile wry. They had never formally met, but she was sure he had gleaned a few details about her from Peter. "Peter's in the Vault, checking recent readings on a specimen. He should be out shortly." Kara Zor-El walks into the lab, smiling. "Thanks.... Doctor Connor? Hope I'm not interrupting anything too important." She thinks. "You're the same Doctor Connor that wrote the article on recombinant DNA without using a polymerase chain reaction, aren't you?" She whistles to herself. "I knew Peter was working with one of the leaders is genetic recombination but I didn't realize it was you. Wow." The doctor blushes slightly. "You honor me, Miss Zor-El. A representative of an advanced civilization, complimenting me? It's a little too...hrm..." His face tightens, the color draining slightly from his face. "Sorry. My right arm...phantom pain." Seems odd, the human body. Blown to bits in an explosion and he still suffers pain from the arm. Peter steps out of the Vault, closing it securely. "No change, Doc, activity is practically nil...hey, Kara!" Peter smiles to Kara, putting down the clipboard and removing the safety goggles. "So...how was class?" Kara Zor-El nods a little. "Your work is quite phenomenal, from what I read. Especially for Earth technology." She pauses. "I'd honestly say you're probably at least a few centuries ahead of where Krypton would have been at this same point in time." She didn't mention the reason Kryptonians altered their research on recombinant DNA experimentation though. Rogue scientists. Project Doomsday. The attempted clone uprising and institution of strict rules on eugenics and how genetic manipulation was used for the mass populace. She always made sure not to talk about the eugenics stuff because of what Captain America and her cousin had both told her. So she limited it to the compliments. All true also - certain human beings, especially from Peter's universe, were surprisingly advanced for their timeframe in specific areas of science. "I have friends and teammates who have been involved in scientific experiments on lost limbs, like my friend Victor Stone and his father, Dr. Silas Stone, but they mainly were focusing on robotics. I don't think I know anyone who is as far along in what you've theorized." She then looks as Peter steps out of the Vault. "Hi SWEETIE..." she says, stressing the last word. "Class was very interesting. We had a special guest model for my Anatomical Drawing class. My partner, Spider-Man, decided to surprise me." Peter blinked. "Really? And I was checking out blobs of alien goo." Dr. Connors smiled. "And doing a VERY good job, too. Listen, Peter, I have to sneakernet this data to the mainframe. I am sure that with both you and Miss Zor-El here, the research will never be safer." Peter blinks. "You know, I could run that down for you to the mainframe room." You know, where there are witnesses. "Connors smiles and nods. "No trouble at all." He then steps out, the door locking behind him, leaving him alone with Kara. "So....how about those Yankees, eh?" Kara Zor-El smiles. "Thanks Dr. Connor." she says as he leaves them alone. She crosses her arms, looking at him. "So... Petey? Is your danger sense tingling at all?" she asks curiously. Peter Parker blinks. "Uhm...should it be?" he asks carefully. He tries for that disarming, sheepish smile that had gotten him out of many a lecture. Kara Zor-El put two arms that are totally capable of moving tectonic plates lightly on Peter's shoulders. "Probably should be a little." She pauses. "You are incredibly lucky that you're so cute, I swear." She shakes her head, smiling a little despite herself. "Could I ask why you HAD to do that? It was sooo embarrassing." she says before giving him a peck on the lips. Peter Parker blinks. "Well, *I* didn't ask your teacher to park her car at the end of a blind alley. Or when I heard her school budget got cut. True, I *did* figure out it was your class, but by that time, I had committed myself. Might as well see it through. BESIDES..." He smiled, returning the light kiss. "Everyone had fun, you got an A, and from what I hear you are a budding entrepreneur. So...tell me again why it was embarrassing? Kara Zor-El pauses, giving him another peck a bit more firmly. "Maybe because I was trying really hard for my classes to not be about either my superheroing life OR my sex life, and you somehow got the conversation there on both?" She smiles at him again, giving him a hug. "Anyway, I just wanted to say I love you and if you do it again I miiiight have to throw you to Saturn." She gives him another peck on the lips. She was kidding of course. Probably. Right? Yeah sure. She was kidding. Almost definitely, probably kidding. She adds, "Oh and you owe me a really good date night now." Okay, yeah, that does mean she was kidding, since she wouldn't have dates with a corpse orbiting Saturn. That wouldn't be a fun date at all. Peter Parker looks very, very relieved. You never knew with Kara. Kryptonians had the weirdest humor. "Well...I DID happen to find this nice ice cream place, Cold Stone Creamery. Make your ice cream any way you like. Sound like a decent date?" Kara Zor-El pauses, giving Peter a little squeeze with her hug so his feet were off the ground, followed by another kiss. "You had me at 'ice cream.'" she says, letting his feet back on the floor and letting go. "So um.... what sort of work do you do here?" Peter Parker points to the long row of tables. "Well, the Vault has some of the more serious projects. Some we get from DARPA, some from the military, some from a few of the three-letter agencies. Everything from unusual finds to alien technology." He smiles. "Since I assisted on a couple of them, I am getting credit for undergrad work. It's all very exciting. I could even show you some of the items we have." Kara Zor-El smiles. "I like how you separate unusual finds and alien technology." she giggles. "And I'd love to be given the tour." Well, when the most powerful girl in the world wants to visit the Vault, any problem in a robbery will be with the robbers. The vault door swings wide to reveal 20 stations, each the size of a master bedroom, each with their own equipment. As he walks, he points out particular locations. "That there is testing for a non-lethal takedown weapon. They call it a "Goop Gun." The one to the left, that is a red substance that was found growing near the site of an alien crash. We're trying to sort out what it is." He stops in front of one section, with a large metal box sitting on a table. "We...should give this one a miss." He hurries Kara past it, then says apologetically, "Sorry. Radioactive crystal from space. Research grant from STAR Labs." Kara Zor-El peers at the red substance, keeping her distance until she's sure that it's not a certain radioactive mineral that sometimes makes her do or become crazy things. She's ushered past the metal box. She peers at it closely, noticing it was made of lead. "Wait is that..." she say as she's hurried past it, and whispers, "Do you have Kryptonite in here? Really?" Peter Parker nods. "It was recovered from a cache in Gotham City. Apparently some psychotic clown as going to use it to..." He looks down. Does he have to say it? What use does Kryptonite have, after all? "Anyway, we're seeing what is best used to detect it, and neutralize it." He paused. "I've been doing some of my own testing. I came up with some lead-based web fluid. Only one cartridge, but since it's the only thing that can...hurt you, I felt a counter-measure would be a good idea." Kara Zor-El smiles a little, stopping and hugging Peter again. "Are you Batmanning a way to save me if I need saving?" she says happily. She was already happy that the Joker apparently no longer had a chunk of rock capable of killing her. "That's got to be the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me." she says, giving Peter a kiss. Not a peck. A long, passionate kiss. Peter Parker mmmphs at the kiss. Kara's lips are firm without being hard, pressing without mashing, and she always looks so beautiful. Peter is lost in the kiss until her lips part from his and he remembers that, hey, breathing, and he takes a big gasp of air. "Well..." he manages, "...I think about this sort of thing all the time. I mean, with us, every enemy's first priority is going to be you. No one's going to pay attention to the spider-boy when the Kryptonian powerhouse is in attendance. What are they going to say? Ignore YOU and worry about me? It is to laugh, as they say." Kara Zor-El lets him break the kiss after enough time has passed to know that that kiss meant business. The gasp was always a good sign of it." She strokes his cheek. "And this is yet another reason why I love you. Thanks." She pauses. "So .... have you figured any ways? I've actually tried to look for ways also and.... it hasn't been that successful for me. Plus it's always a risk to my life - or other people's lives - to even experiment on it." Peter Parker continues walking. "Anyway, if we get any decisive results, I'll be sure you get a copy of our findings to read and to give to your cousin. Anyway, let's move on to-" THUMP! Peter jumps away from the large clear sphere to his left. A large glob of black goo has hit the clear surface from inside, melting as it moves downward to the bottom, then forms into a glob that crawls up the clear surface to pulse against it. "Yeah...THAT. That is something picked up a few weeks ago from the site of a UFO crash. Species unknown. All we know is that it is highly..." THUMP! The sphere shows the black bomb melting to the bottom again. "...aggressive," he finished. Kara Zor-El looks at the sphere cautiously. "Well... that's a little nerve-wracking, isn't it?" Peter Parker nods. "Yeah. Look it orients away from you and towards me. Not sure why, though." Kara Zor-El crosses her arms, looking at it. "Maybe it prefers humans to aliens?" Peter sighed. "Yeah, it's our winning personality. The sphere is keeping it contained, though. Twenty days and no loss of containment." He begins moving away from the sphere as a curtain descends over it. There is one more THUMP! and then silence. "Anyway, would you like to see something amusing Harry found and thought I might enjoy?" Kara Zor-El looks back at the sphere, before looking at Peter again. "Sure?" she says, tilting her head as she takes Peter's hand. Peter walks over to a break room, the bulletin board littered with notices, with a fridge, microwave oven, a stove, cabinet, and a large TV at one end in front of a couch. Under the TV is a slim Blu-Ray player. "Harry found something in an old archive at the library. They archived a lot of footage from TV--various shows and such--and Harry found one that I think is a direct result of the Event." He goes to his backpack and takes out a black DVD case. "Can you promise never to breathe a word to anyone about this?" Kara Zor-El looks at Peter. "Um.... sure?" she says curiously. Peter grins, then takes out a large tub of gourmet popcorn, then two tall bottles of soda, putting them on the end table before putting the DVD in. He sits on the couch, beckoning to Kara to join him. Instant madness. Just Push Play. The screen blinks, then a logo for something called THE MUPPET SHOW appears. A frog made out of felt appears in the "O" of "SHOW" and announces. "It's thge Muppet Show, with our very special guest WONDER WOMAN! YAYYYYYYYY!!" The Muppet disappears with flailing arms as the music comes up. Kara Zor-El smiles as she watches. "Oh Rao, this is adorable! It's a puppet show!" She bobs her head a bit. "Catchy music too!" Peter smiles as the song continues, up to the point where the blue thing tries to blow a bugle and fireworks come out. "The frog's name is Kermit," Peter offers helpfully. Kermit comes out and begins his opening. "Thank you, thank you and WELCOME to the Muppet Show. Tonight, we have a VERY special guest. She is known as a superheroine all over the world, but she is also an official ambassador of an island of ferocious warrior women!" An old man in the balcony seat says to his friend, 'So THAT'S where Miss Piggy comes from!" They cackle to each other. Kara Zor-El tilts her head as she watches, still holding Peter's hand. She really did seem to like puppet shows. Although.... superheroine who's an ambassador from an island of ferocious warrior women? "That's weird, almost sounds like Diana." she says curiously. Kermit continues. "Now, she has never been on a show like this, so she is unused to comedy." "Wakka wakka WAKKA!" says a plush bear as he steps onstage. Kermit hmmms. "She might still be unused to it after this episode. Fozzie, what are you doing out here?" "Kermit, Kermit, a lot of the others think that, since we have a superhero, we should all try to find our inner superhero, too." "Well, that's a good thing, I think. Wonder Woman has inspired so many people." "Yeah, well..." "I CAN FLY!" comes a shout from above as the blue thing, now wearing a comical suit of chicken feathers, prepares to jump. Kermit calls out, "Gonzo, WAIT!" The one named Gonzo drops into view and hits the floor hard. Kermit looks down. "Gonzo...chickens can't fly." "NOW he tells me..." Gonzo groans. Kermit looks to the stage. "Go get the spatula!" Kara Zor-El gives Peter's hand a slightly harder squeeze than she meant to as she widens her eyes. "Rao, it IS Diana! Diana was on a puppet show?!" She catches herself before she squeezes Peter's hand TOO hard. "Sorry... sorry. I mean I know she's been around a long time but I didn't think she was on a puppet show!" She watches more intently, giggling at the jokes. The scene cuts to a dressing room, where there is no doubt as Diana, wearing a dress of royal blue is looking at a script and frowning, when there is a knock at the door. "Enter," Diana announces. The door opens and Miss Piggy steps in. "Well, HELLO, Wonder Woman." An aside to the audience, "As in, I wonder how you got here." "Hello, Miss Piggy." Diana is the soul of propriety, putting down the script. "What can I do for you?" "Yes, yes...I was wondering if there's going to be a problem here. I hope you don't have any...INTENTIONS towards my Kermit." Diana blinks. "Miss Piggy, I assure you there will be no impropriety here. I have met Kermit, and he seems interesting. Soft-spoken..." Her voice grows quiet and wistful. "Intelligent...respectful...creative..." As Diana goes on about Kermit's qualities, Miss Piggy begins to seethe... Kara Zor-El watches with total fascination. "Awww... I want to be in a puppet show too..." she says, giggling as the show progresses. "I think the pig girl is getting jealous of Diana." Peter grins, but says nothing yet apart from placing the tub of popcorn at their feet and opening it, handing a bottle of root beer to Kara. Right about the time Diana is saying dreamily, "...so considerate of others..." Miss Piggy bolts from the dressing room, slamming the door. Diana looks to the audience with a puzzled, innocent look. "I wonder what her problem is. But again, with this world...I tend to wonder a lot." She winks. Kara Zor-El giggles more. "I'm so going to tease Diana about how she loves a puppet frog." Peter grimaces. "Just as long as you don't tell her where you got it." The next scene is...interesting. A number of Muppets are now dressed in various colorful superhero outfits, while one of them is reading from a book with the title INVINCIBILITY MADE EASY. Kara Zor-El leans over until she's lying on Peter's lap, giggling more at it. "I'm going to get Leah a book like that." Peter looks down, pausing the program. "You are enjoying this FAR too much, Kara. I'm officially worried." Kara Zor-El keeps giggling and pointing. "But it's puppets!" Kara really did like puppet shows. She looks up at Peter from his lap and sticks out her tongue. "Seriously, I want to be on that show. Can I talk to that Jim Henson guy? Fozzie is so funny, and Gonzo's adorable!" Peter sighs. "Well, bad news is, that show went off the air about 35 years ago. Buuut...the educational show Sesame Street is still running." Kara Zor-El awws when she hears the show is over, then sits up and gets onto Peter's lap curiously. "Educational and puppets? Okay, that's like... two of my favorite things in one." Peter Parker nods, then points to the screen. "Watch the show, honey?" He smiled at her, feeling strangely protective of his invulnerable girlfriend. Having a lap filled with Supergirl is a very enjoyable sensation, and he wants it to last as long as possible. The program starts again, as a Muppet News Flash comes in with the newsman warning of an Egyptian god who attacks you when you say its name. Naturally, when he says it, a crocodile appears from out of nowhere and attacks him. Switch to the stage where...Diana is holding a harp. As she is about to play, she is called offstage, and comes back out with a guitar. Shrugging, playing a few notes, she begins singing a song called "Rubberband Man," while being assisted by a bunch of...well, anthropomorphic rubber bands. Oddly enough, she plays it completely straight, and Peter says, "Wow...she does have a good singing voice..." Kara Zor-El cuddles up to Peter as she sits on his lap. She covers her mouth to suppress more giggling until Diana comes on with the harp. She nods a little. "Yeah, she really is a great singer and musician. Diana's sort of awesome.... I've been actually trying to learn the play the guitar." Kara rests her head against Peter as she watches more. Peter chuckles as Diana steps off the stage and meets Kermit. "Diana, can we talk?" "Sure, Kermit." She puts the guitar down, then looks to the Muppet. "We're not...usually this crazy and chaotic..." he begins Gonzo runs past, clucking like a chicken in his costume as Kermit scowls. Diana places a gentle hand on Kermit's head. "Have no fear. I am sure that they have a good leader in you, Kermit." "Oh...well, I wouldn't exactly call myself a LEADER..." he says abashedly. Diana smiles warmly to him. "Kermit...so modest. It is true. And the fact you are able to do this show with your friends..." Miss Piggy's head slowly appears from behind a stage door, unseen by either of them, a sour look on her face. Diana caresses Kermit's cheek. "I find it...very compelling." Kermit stammers, "I'd better g-go get the next scene ready..." and retreats, leaving Diana looking at him go with a warm smile. She leaves the stage, and Miss Piggy hisses, "That Amazon is about to be Ama-GONE." Kara Zor-El puts both hands over her mouth to suppress laughing even more. Then squeaks out, "I am so going to talk to Diana about this and I'm making sure everyone in the Titans watches this forever. Especially Cassie. Because this is awesome." She starts giggling again. "So.... awesome." Peter Parker sighs. "Tell her you found it on the Internet. Just keep me out of it." On the screen, the Muppets are gearing up for the finale as Kermit announces a tale of "sheer terror." "Who will save us? Why that hero of all...WONDER PIG!" Offstage, Diana blinks and giggles. Actually giggles. "WONDER PIG?" Kara Zor-El buries her face against Peter as she keeps on laughing. Kermit warns. "A word of caution. There are some scenes which may not be suitable for adults!" The curtain opens on a scene were Miss Piggy tells a doctor about the fact her husband seems to spontaneously start clucking. The doctor warns it is because of a disease being spread by a giant chicken. Peter winces as the doctor and the husband both start clucking and pass out at the sight of a giant chicken in the window behind them. Miss Piggy looks at the audience and announces, "This looks like a job for WONDER PIG!" She suddenly spins around, her clothing replaced by a bright costume and tiara like Diana's. Suddenly, she begins to grow under her head bursts through the roof, and the chicken is frightened off. "Beat it, ya dumb cluck!" Wonder Pig looks to the screen and says, "Eat your heart out, Diana." Cut to Diana clapping her hands and laughing, saying, "Bravo...bravo!" The two old men in the balcony watch as one acts, "How come chickens are getting so big on this show?" His friend replies, "Well, chickens thrive on corn!" Kara Zor-El winces. "Oooooh that was so mean!" she says, grinning. Miss Piggy chases the chicken out of the backstage area, then opens the rear backstage door as a handsome, solidly-built man enters. Kara recognizes him, but Piggy gives it away by saying, "Oh, Major Trevor, I'm so glad you could come!" Trevor smiles. "No problem, Miss Piggy. Is something wrong with Wonder Woman?" He starts looking concerned. "Piggy nods. "Yes. I think she's making moves on my Kermy!" Trevor blinks, then looks to Miss Piggy. "Wait...the frog?" Piggy responds icily, "Yes the FROG." "Wait a minute...Diana's a princess, you know. And if a princess kisses a frog, it turns into a prince!" Scene cut to Diana sitting out in a city scene onstage, singing "Orange-Colored Sky" with Kermit as explosions go off around them. "This doesn't bother you?" Kermit asks, clearly unsettled. "Actually it's quiet compared to a normal day," Diana quips. Kara Zor-El shakes her head. More giggling commencing. "If there was a reason to make a time machine, it would be to go on this show." Scene cuts back to Trevor. He shakes his head. "Ah, she'd never kiss anyone else, let alone a frog." Scene cut, and Diana leaning forward to press her lips to Kermit's cheek, and... FLASH! BAM! ALAKAZAM! Suddenly, Trevor is standing before Diana. "Major! What are you doing here?" Trevor says in Kermit's voice, "Who's Trevor?" Scene cut to Miss Piggy and Kermit, only Kermit is speaking with Trevor's voice. "Uh-oh..." Kara Zor-El watches, smiling. "This is my favorite show in the entire universe. And I'm literally from another galaxy who's been to the future, so that should widen the range of that statement." The show ends with Kermit with Miss Piggy onstage, talking to Diana and Steve, who is rubbing his jaw. "I can't believe it. How did you change us back, Major?" Steve said resignedly, "Well, we switched bodies with a kiss, so Miss Piggy changed us back." Kermit asked, "By giving you a kiss?" Steve shook his head. "By putting one in the kisser." Kermit looks to the audience, then says, "Well, that's our show tonight! Tune in next week for another super episode of the Muppet Show!" A bunch of Muppets in costume swarm the stage as the credits roll. Peter shuts off the TV, the disc ejecting. "Why do I feel like I've done something they will get me punched into orbit?" Kara Zor-El smiles at Peter. "I promise you won't be. Also I love you." She gives Peter a long kiss. Peter Parker smiles and returns the kiss. "I thought you might like it. Although, I have to say, she DOES have a talent for comedy."